Manually operated lip clinching tool

ABSTRACT

A MANUALLY OPERATED LIP CLINCHING TOOL FOR CLINCHING OR DIMPLING INTERENGAGED CONNECTING LIPS OF ADJACENT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PANELS. THE TOOL COMPRISING A HANDLE, PIVOTAL JAW MEANS, AND CONTRACTABLE AND EXTENSIBLE JAW OPERATING MEANS-IN THE FORM OF A LAZY-TONG ASSEMBLY-CONNECTING THE HANDLE TO THE PIVOTAL JAW MEANS. THE JAW OPERATING MEANS CONVERTS FORCED DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE HANDLE INTO FORCED PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE JAW MEANS IN A CLINCHING DIRECTION.

Dec. 7, 1971 D. G. E. IRVIN MANUALLY OPERATED LIP CLINCHING TOOL Filed NOV. 13, 1969 IN VENTOR. DONAL 0 6. IRV/N WZZZW United States Patent 01 fice 3,624,876 Patented Dec. 7, 1971 3,624,876 MANUALLY OPERATED LIP CLINCHING TOOL Donald G. Irvin, East Burlington, Ontario, Canada, assignor to H. H. Robertson Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Nov. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 876,536 Claims priority, application Canada, Dec. 10, 1968, 37,479, Patent 862,433 Int. Cl. B26f 1/36 US. Cl. 29-2l.1 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A manually operated lip clinching tool for clinching or dimpling interengaged connecting lips of adjacent building construction panels. The tool comprises a handle, pivotal jaw means, and contractable and extensible jaw operating meansin the form of a lazy-tong assembly-connecting the handle to the pivotal jaw means. The jaw operating means converts forced downward movement of the handle into forced pivotal movement of the jaw means in a clinching direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates to apparatus for securing building construction panels, such as floor deck sections, roof deck sections and the like, firmly together, and more particularly to a manually operated tool for clinching or dimpling interengaged connecting lips of adjacent building construction panels.

(2) Description of the prior art Manually operated tools for clinching or dimpling interengaged connecting lips, such as upstanding male and female lips, of adjacent panels are well known in the prior art. Such prior art tools include a pair of jaws carrying complementary die-like elements adapted to deform the interengaged connecting lips and thereby secure the adjacent panels together. Such prior art tools normally are in the form of large tongs, that is, each jaw has a long handle associated therewith. By forcing the handles toward each other, the jaws are caused to move together to produce a clinching or dimpling of the interengaged connecting lips disposed therebetween.

Such prior art tong-like tools are awkward to handle and to operate. Moreover, the workman is required to perform strenuos movements of the type which apply strain to the back muscles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal object of this invention is to provide a clinching tool having improved jaw operating means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clinching tool having a handle which a workman grips and pushes downwardly in a direction generally normal to the plane of the deck sections, to cause the jaws to pivot in a clinching direction, and which the workmen lifts to release the tool from the roof deck sections.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clinching tool wherein the force required to operate the tool is not produced by muscle contractions on the part of the workman, but by the workman applying his weight to the tool whereby muscle strains are avoided.

A further object of this invention is to provide a clinching tool which is operated by a workman standing on that side of a sheet metal section which presents a female lip, whereby the weight of the workman forces the male and female lips of adjacent sheet metal sections into the desired interengaged relation prior to clinching.

The present tool includes a pair of pivotal jaws provided with cooperating elements for clinching or dimpling interengaged connecting lips of adjacent building construction panels.

In accordance with this invention, a handle is connected to the pivotal jaws by contractable and extensible jaw operating means. The jaw operating means comprises a lazy-tong assembly. The jaw operating means converts forced downward movement of the handle into forced pivotal movement of the jaws in a clinching direction. The present tool is operated by a workman applying his weight to the handle, whereby awkward and strenuous movements on the part of the workman are avoided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 and 2 are fragmentary isometric views of a supporting structure formed from plural deck sections, illustrating the mode of operating a prior art clinching tool and the clinching tool of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentay isometric view of a joint between adjacent deck sections of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged side views, partly in cross section, illustrating typical jaw configurations;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the clinching tool of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the clinching tool of FIG. 6, illustrating jaw operating means in an extended condi tion;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the clinching tool of FIG. 7, illustrating the jaw operating means in a contracted condition; and

'FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 6, illustrating a typical pivot construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a supporting structure 10 which may comprise a roof deck or a floor deck. The supporting structure 10 is assembled from corrugated sheet metal sections 12 connected along a seam or joint 14. -As shown in FIG. 3, the seam 14 may comprise an upstanding male lip 16 and an upstanding female lip 18 formed along the opposite longitudinal edges of each of the sheet metal sections 12. When mated, the upstanding male lip 16 is embraced by the upstanding female lip I18. The seam 14 is secured at spaced intervals by dimpling, as at 20 or by punching as at 22.

Such dimpling or punching operations are presently done with hand tools such as the prior art tongs 24 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The prior art tongs 24 include jaw means 26 and a pair of handles 28 operatively connected to the jaw means 26. To operate the jaw means 26, a workman 29 forces the handles 28 toward each other, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that the prior art tongs 24 are awkward to operte and require strenuous movements on the part of a workman.

Referring still to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention provides a clinching tool 30 comprising jaw means 32, a handle 34, and contractable and extensible jaw operating means 36 connecting the handle 34 to the jaw means 32. As will be more fully explained, the jaw operating means 36 converts forced downward movement of the handle 34 into forced pivotal movement of the jaw means 32 in a clamping direction. In FIG. 1, the jaw operating means 36 is illustrated in an extended condition with the jaw means 32 straddling the seam 14 preparatory to clinching the same. A workman 38 is shown gripping the handle 34 preparatory to operating the tool 30.

In FIG. 2, the jaw operating means 36 is shown in a contracted or collapsed condition. The workman 38 has pushed downwardly in the direction of the arrow and has caused the jaw means 32 to be forcibly pivoted in a clamping direction. It will be noted that prior to and after the clinching tool 30 has been operated, the workman 38 stands substantially erect. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the force required to operate the clinching tool 30 is not produced by muscle contractions on the part of the workman, but by the workman applying his weight to the handles 34. Accordingly, muscle strains do not occur when operating the present clinching tool '30.

It is a convenient concept when describing the sheet metal sections 12, to state that each sheet metal section 12 has a male side, designated M, which presents the male lip 16 (FIG. 3) and a female side, designated F, which presents the female lip 18 (FIG. 3). With this concept in mind, it will be appreciated by inspection of FIGS. 1 and 2, that the workman 29 straddles the seam 14. Normally, the workmans weight is evenly distributed between the adjacent sheet metal sections 12. However, should the workman 29 shift his position such that most of his weight is concentrated on the male side M, the male side M and the male lip thereof will be moved downwardly. In this situation, the male and female lips at the joint 14 will not be in the desired interengaged position illustrated in FIG. 3 and the resulting dimple will be ineffective to secure the adjacent sheet metal sections 12 together.

It will also be appreciated by inspection of FIGS. 1 and 2 that the workman 38- operating the clinching tool 30 of this invention, stands with his entire weight concentrated on the female side F of the sheet metal section 12. The entire weight of the workman 38 forces the female side F and the female lip thereof, downwardly toward the male lip of the adjacent sheet metal section 12. Accordingly, when using the clinching tool 30 of this invention, the weight of the workman maintains the male and female lips at the joint 14 in the desired interengaged position illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 6-8, inclusive, the jaw means 32 comprises a pair of jaws 40, 42 including opposed jaw faces 44, 46 and jaw arms 48, 50. The jaws 40, 42 are pivotal about a common pivot axis 52 and are pivotally connected such that they do not cross one another. It will be observed by comparing FIGS. 7 and 8 that the overall arrangement is such that when the jaw arms 48, 50 are spread apart (FIG. 8) the jaws faces 44, 46 move closer together, whereas when the jaw arms 48, 50 are moved toward each other (FIG. 7) the jaws faces 44, 46 are moved apart. As shown in FIG. 4, the jaws 40, 42 may be provided with complementary dies, such as a projection 54 and a recess 56, similar to those shown in Canada Pat. 793,044, for producing the dimple at 20 in FIG. 3. Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 5, the jaws 40, 42 may be provided with complementary dies such as a cutter 58 and a recess 60, similar to those shown in US. Pat. 824,551, for producing the cuts shown at 22 in FIG. 3.

Referring still to FIGS. 6-8, inclusive, the tool 30 has a longitudinal axis 62 extending perpendicular to and intersecting the pivot axis 52 and between the opposed jaw faces 44, 46.

The handle 34 has a longitudinal centerline 64 (FIG. 6) intersecting the longitudinal axis 62 of the tool 30 and generally parallel with the pivot axis 52.

The contractable and extensible jaw operating means 36 comprises a lazy-tong assembly 66 having one end secured to the handle and the other end secured to the jaw means 32. As best shown in FIG. 6 the lazy-tong assembly 66 includes plural scissors-like sub-assemblies 68, 70, 72 having central pivots 74 and end pivots 76. Each of the scissors-like sub-assemblies 68, 70 include a single arm 78 extending between a pair of arms 80. A single arm 82 and a pair of arms 84 pivotally connect the scissors-like sub-assembly 68 to the handle 34. The scissors-like subassembly 72 includes an arm plate 86 extending between a pair of arm plates 88. The opposite ends of the scissorslike sub-assembly 72 are connected to the scissors-like subassembly 70 and to the jaw arms 48, 50 of the jaw means 32 by the end pivots 76.

FIG. 9 illustrates the end pivot 76 between the subassemblies 68, 70. It is to be understood that the construction illustrated in FIG. 9 is typical of the remaining pivots 74, 76. As shown in FIG. 9, fastening means such as cooperating shoulder screw 90 and nut 92 pivotally connect the arms 80, 78, 80. The shoulder screw 90 includes a shoulder 94 extending through corresponding openings 96 in the arms 80, 78, 80. The nut 92 engages an end face 98 of the shoulder 94 so as not to rigidly clamp the arms 80, 78, 80. The shoulder 94 serves as an axle about which the arms 80, 78, are freely pivotal.

With the jaw operating means 36 in the extended position illustrated in FIG. 7, the opposed jaw faces 44, 46 are separated by a distance indicated at W Forced movement of the handle 34 along the longitudinal axis 62 and toward the jaw means 32 causes forced pivotal movement of the jaw means 32 about the pivot axis 52 in a clamping direction. FIG. 8 illustrates the jaw operating means 36 in the collapsed condition wherein the opposed jaw faces 44, 46 are separated by a distance indicated at W which is less than the spacing W in FIG. 7.

What is claimed is:

1. A clinching tool comprising:

a pair of jaws including opposed jaw faces and jaw arms, said jaws being pivotally secured such that said jaw arms do not cross one another and pivotal about a common pivot axis disposed above said opposed jaw faces;

complementary dies, one presented by each of said opposed jaw faces;

said tool having a longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to said pivot axis and between said jaws faces;

a handle; and

contractable and extensible jaw operating means connecting said handle to said pair of jaws for converting forced movement of said handle toward said pair of jaws into forced pivotal movement of said pair of jaws about said pivot axis in a clinching direction.

2. The tool defined in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal axis intersects said pivot axis.

3. The tool defined in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal axis of said handle extends parallel with said pivot axis.

4. The tool defined in claim 1 wherein said jaw operating means comprises a lazy-tong assembly having one end secured to said handle and the other end secured to said pair of jaws.

5. The tool defined in claim 1 wherein said tool has a first overall length when said jaw operating means is in an extended condition and a second overall length which is significantly less than said first overall length, when said jaw operating means is in a contracted condition.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,522,950 1/1925 Evans et al. 30-246 1,910,839 5/1933 Jensen 30-363 X 3,184,838 5/1965 Johnson SI-5.1 X 3,505,714 4/1970 Boileau 30-363'X ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner .R. V. PARKER, 111., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

